Get the NFL to release access to its Film Library to the public at large

Signatures

20 Signatures.

Opened on February 15, 2011

Bill James changed the way teams approach the game of Baseball with his saber metric approach to the game, an approach the began from the perspective of a zealous fan.

The NFL is on the precipice of a similar revolution. Like never before fans are searching for new ways to approach the game.

Consider:

Fantasy football is an industry poised to top the $1 Billion mark in 2011 (if there is an NFL season). Fantasy owners are searching for a way to gain an edge.

A quick Google search of "NFL statistics" will get you over 2 million hits.

People like ESPN's KC Joyner and Football Outsiders' Aaron Schatz are starting the ball rolling with their innovative look into football statistics.

However this can only go so far until the NFL releases its film archive to the public at large. To quote KC Joyner "The best way to make the how and why information [of football] public is for the NFL to open up its kimono and allow both fans and the media access to its film library....Fans want to feel like scouts and coaches, and the only way to tap into that feeling is by allowing them to look over game footage"

This is a fan base that has shown a willingness to pay $335 a season to watch 16 games of their favorite NFL team out of market. We understand that nothing is free.

For the NFL to take that next step forward it needs to support its hardcore fans to pursue their inner Bill James and make "all 22" game film available to the public at large.

So please sign this petition and send an email with your request to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at [email protected]